AIRPORT DESIGN
Bahrain’s new terminal (above) and the shape of things to come at Helsinki (centre) and Seattle-Tacoma (right).
Build and grow Despite today’s tough operating climate, airports continue to invest in new infrastructure to enhance their capabilities. Joe Bates takes a closer look at some of the most exciting recent developments.
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ecent announcements about a number of potentially gamechanging infrastructure development projects in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East shows that despite the continued devastating impact of COVID-19 on global traffic levels, faith remains in the long-term future of aviation. Projects in the pipeline include the multi-million dollar revamp and expansion of Helsinki Airport in Finland and a state-of-the-art International Arrivals Facility at Seattle-Tacoma and new $1.5 billion main terminal at Portland International Airport in the USA. Elsewhere, Dublin Airport in Ireland is planning a major facelift for Terminal 1; the future operators of India’s new Delhi Noida International Airport have unveiled the designs for its new terminal; and developers in Saudi Arabia have revealed the stunning designs for a new Red Sea gateway. The projects follow the respective December 2020 and January 2021 openings of new terminals at Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport and Bahrain International Airport in the Gulf state. While in Serbia, Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport has opened a new-look central terminal area and London City Airport in the UK has completed the construction of a full-length parallel taxiway and eight new stands capable of handling larger and more fuel-efficient aircraft. In London City’s case, its parallel runway taxiway and aircraft stands have been built on a new 70,000sqm concrete deck created by drilling 1,000 piles of concrete 20 metres below the waterbed of London’s King George V Dock. The project, notes the airport, was one of the most challenging and complex civil engineering and inland marine construction projects in Western Europe.
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AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 1, 2021
In this article we turn the spotlight on Bahrain’s new terminal and the planned developments in Helsinki, Seattle-Tacoma, Dublin and Delhi.
Take-off for Bahrain’s new terminal Bahrain International Airport (BIA) celebrated a major milestone on January 28 when its eagerly awaited new $1.1 billion terminal opened for business. The new state-of-the-art facility is a key element of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and is expected to transform air travel to the Gulf state by providing the airport with the facilities that will allow it take operational efficiency and customer service standards to new levels. Spanning 210,000sqm, the new facility is four times larger than the airport’s old terminal and will increase BIA’s capacity to 14 million passengers a year. Its facilities include eight baggage reclaim belts; 104 check-in counters; 36 passport control offices; a total of 20 e-gates for arrivals and departures; a 4,780sqm Departures Hall; 6,600sqm Arrivals Hall and 10,002sqm of retail space. Its duty free area is three times larger than in the old terminal and offers 30 new top brands in Bahrain for the first time. The new terminal – the key project of BIA’s Airport Modernization Program (AMP) – also features its own hotel and spa for transit passengers and a airport clinic where a dedicated team of healthcare professionals will be on hand around-the-clock to provide medical services to visitors. Fittingly, a Gulf Air flight to Abu Dhabi with Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and chairman of Bahrain
